St. Paul daily globe., 1887-01-23
College Boys at Play and Reminis'
cence--Personal and Social Talk
of City.

A pleasant feature of social happenings
this winter is the number of private dancing
parties given at the different halls of the
city. Very few Minneapolis homes except
those of our millionaireS, have rooms large
enough for dancing to be enjoyable, and
there are several halls where absolute pri-
vacy can be secured, with floors prepared
especially for this pastime. These are
being more generally patronized than evel
before, not only by social clubs. but by pri-
vate parties as well-adies and gentlemen
who desire to give their friends an evening
of this pleasant amusement. 1t is far
more sensible plan than the old one of at
tempting to dance in the home parlors,
where there is seldom room for eight
couples TO dance comfortably.
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Another thing: Dancing parties that are
given in the regular assembly halls do away
entirely with the labor of preparing the
home for such occasions. Only those who
have attempted it can understand what a
task it is to remove the tables, rearrange the
furniture, place bric-a-brac in secure po-
Sitions, find room for the piano or orchestra,
prepare the refreshments and otherwise fix
the house for dancing party. An Ordi-
nary entertainment does not give one an idea
of the trouble they are. And then the con-
dition of the house after one is over is
something appalling. Truly the fashion of
giving dances at public halls is sensible
one and should thrive.
~
The season has produced comparatively
few large receptions. 1t is a question
whether they are not waning in popularity V.
The smaller entertainments offer so many
advantages over former receptions that no
one doubts their superiority from a
pleasure-giving standpoint. Still, rece o.
tions have their advantages. They offer to
the society woman an opportunity for pay
ing off all her debts at once. and this to a
lady with large acquaintance, is great
desedeTatum, and one that nothing else sc
effectually meets. And then there is a
tradition to the effect that of all places, a
reception is the one for displaying the
gorgeous attire in which beautiful woman
delights i'll arraying herself-beautiful?
All women rather, Tor that old saying,
that beauty unadOrned is adorned the
most" while it may be as true as truth it.
self, does not at all infer that there are not
many things that heighten feminine charms
of comparative degree.
-
What strange ideas exist in regard to
what constitutes beauty, not only in ap-
parel but in humanity as well! And what
supernatural wisdom is manifest in the
great diversity Of conceptions of beauty;
for if there was only one fixed type it would
go hard with the greater part of woman
kind-and mankind, too, for that matter;
for the time when fashionable foibles ceased
TO pertain 10 men Cif it ever eXisted) is past,
and so all alike are blessed in the abundance
of types of beauty. Just tn ink what hard
lines il would be if an irrevOcable fiat
should pronounce in favor Of red hair as
an absolute essential of beauty. and in that
faith Il few generations should rise. 1t
would not require very many hundred years
10 make the world red-headed, and the
golden-crowned belle of to-day and the
maiden with hair like ravens wing would
be known only in history and accounted
worthy of a barbarOuS age wherein the first
requisites Of beauty were unknown.
~
Don't imagine that it is intended to cast
a slur on red hair-far from it. For every
body knows beauties with hair of that
color. One may not necessarily admire
red hair per Sc, or in detached form, but to
a certain type it is an absolute necessity,
and the type is admirable, too. This talk
about certain colOrs of hair and degrees of
stature being la mode is all nonsense. For
so long as men are men and women women
our ideas Of beauty will vary. and there
will be as great divergence in them as in
Us OF course ideas may be educated, and
if all the world We're to attend one school
and be taught by one professor he could do
much to establish a standard of conception
but he could not make it universal; not a
bit more than teacher of political econ
omy with strongly enthusiastic leanings
toward protection can prevent many Of his
pupils being e-traders.
-
Perhaps this has nothing at all to do with
receptions, viz, small parties, but one of
the beauties of paragraphing is the great
freedom with which the scribe can skip
from one subject to another. Did you ever
find Yourself tete-a-tete with a congenial
friend, in talkative mood and permit your
talk to wander, allowing random word to
suggest an idea completely at variance with
the subject in hand. and accept the last no
ton only to drop it on the slightest provo
cation for one not half so old?" Gossip?
Yes, it may be, and idle gossip, too, but
there is beneath it all, did we but choose to
look, a deep psychological undercurrent
shat would be of far more interest to the
philosopher than all the books, were it
Srailable.
Now if an attempt were made to detail
se advantages of the small company as OPP
ssed to the formal reception, and if the
fort reached down into careful consider
EOn of the subject, no doubt the results
lOuld be instructive as well as interesting.
fhis is an age of frivolity; everything tends
hat way The stage shows it in the num-
Der Of burIesqueS which are dignified with
The title comedy" il is recognized in the
expression. "a gentleman of the old school, y
a remark that is not devoid of the pathetc
and the mothers and fathers view with
alarm (pardon the chestnut the manners
and the slang their children employ, and
are unable to account for them. The young
people, not having the fear of blue-Stock-
ing-dom before their eyes, with the rash
Judgment of youth vote everything that has
the parental approval, slow. Apropos OF
parties? Certainly, for it is this l0osening
of the reignS and this increase Of socia
freedom that, with each succeeding year.
makes formal affairs grow beautifully less
frequent.
And so evenings spent at home. with a
Few friends at tea. and season of informal
eun after, is the popular entertainment OF
Ae hour Thereby the ingenious hostess is
enabled to display her knowledge of human
nature-if she is worldly wise, as every
fashionable woman should be, she viii
Bring together al these little assemblies only
such people as will enjoy each others com.
pany, and thereby relieve herself of much
worry. for her guests will be SO busy enter
taiAing each other that they will not rely
upon their hostess. Then, what host OF
opportunities for unique programmes, liter
airy. musical, dramatic and otherwise these
little parties afford. Aud what a splendid
school are they in which ambitious ladies
inst entering society can gradually learn the